Chinese digger recommendations

[Jrasband]

Check out the Rippa R22

 

[nogaltractorguy]

Check out the Rippa R22

I did (online). I like it but I'm not sure it is worth that much more over the AGT NTB45U. I could be wrong. I already owned a Rippa and I was not impressed with their fit and finish. I had to remove the fuel filter it came with as it was starving the machine. It would overheat after 15-30 minutes of use. I installed a fan and removed the rear door and that helped. The side access panels were a real pain to put back on as they appeared to have been forced on. It took me about an hour to put back the right side panel (gas tank side) and I have been working on cars for over 30 years. I know I'm paying Chinese machine dollars but I was expecting a little better. Perhaps I need to adjust my expectations. When I looked at the Storm X2, I noticed that it's the same machine Hauyee sells to other markets, HY25 (I haven't seen it here in the USA). From what I gather, it seems like Huayee is above the Rippa, quality wise. Granted I have never seen a Huayee in person just what I see on YouTube and online. I have a 2021 Mahindra 1626 and that machine has been flawless. I wish they made excavators. Then again the would be selling for triple what Chinese machines sell for. Anyone here owns a Huayee?

 

[nogaltractorguy]

I just bought the Typhon XVII with cab last month. My previous mini was the 1-ton Terror X.

My experience and research before buying the 17 followed a lot of the same things you mention in your post. Unfortunately I found that there is real problems with the imported Chinese excavators having all the things you would want in any one of the minis that are for sale.

It seems if you get one with a good Kubota diesel it often is not easily accessed for maintenance. Or if it is easily accessible that some other feature you might want is not available. Such as a better quality hydraulic pump. Or if it has a great hydraulic system it might not have a good thumb or use the common attachments for the 25mm pins. Cabins may be poorly matched to the excavator or Aircon units if DC may exceed the engines alternator ratings.

Manuals and specifications may be hard, inadequate to find or simply wrong. You can appreciate why some folks go for the dealer imported units that they brand for sale. Those dealers have often specified things to make their brand a better unit.

From my research I will say that the Auction machines are the lowest average quality, AGT is basically in this category.

Good luck on what you decide. You can read about my TT-17 in the Thread I made about it here at the forum.

Cool. I'm going to check out your thread.

 

[TimberFarm]

I bought a 3.5 ton Chinese Jiahe direct. This is the same as the Kimron and Groundhog 40 series being sold in the US. I have been very happy with mine. I got a popup ad a few days ago for the Groundhog and they were selling it for only a few thousand more than what the factory price was when I got mine in Oct. '23. The Kimron was like $10,000 more.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

I bought a 3.5 ton Chinese Jiahe direct. This is the same as the Kimron and Groundhog 40 series being sold in the US. I have been very happy with mine. I got a popup ad a few days ago for the Groundhog and they were selling it for only a few thousand more than what the factory price was when I got mine in Oct. '23. The Kimron was like $10,000 more.

Kymrons are just too expensive for a rebadge and a few upgrades in my opinion. Then again, I haven't looked at them that much, but they seem overpriced. My wife would kick me out if I spent more than 20K.

 

[nogaltractorguy]

This video is one of the reasons why I placed the Huayee as a top contender. Looks well built and almost everything is easily accessible.

 

[MattB4]

The Huayee looks very similar to the TT-17 with a few differences in design (like the battery access) and a smaller Kubota engine, the D722 instead of the D902 for the TT-17/18 or XX models. Be aware that a lot of these mini excavators are not honestly rated for what they weigh. Often a claim of 2-ton means you are getting a 3500lb machine. Some like the Dig Master DM 200 are less than 3000lbs while claiming a 1800Kg operating weight.

If you can afford stepping up to the 3-ton class you will gain a fair bit with operational capability

 

[Carl_NH]

nogaltractorguy - thats a nice video for the Huayee - they also are the mfg of the Terror XIX machine which is very common as Typhoon Terror dont actually make any machines they just sell various brands.

I do agree with your assessment on Huayee as a well built unit, with larger tracks, better execution and attention to detail, and a decent unit for the price. In my opinion, all these 1.8T mini's in the $10-12K range are lacking in the hydraulics with the single gear pump and single speed drives.

If you step up to a Rippa 18 around 18-19Kyou will get rotary piston pumps and much smoother operation and two speed drive's but these features come at an increased cost. Here's a link to an R18Pro on FB in NH Log into Facebook

 

[MattB4]

Just looked at a walk through* of the Rippa-R18. Lot of additional features and upgrades over my TT-17. I see that its engine is turned around as compared to what mine is but access to removing the engine oil filter still looks like it would be a bear. These small zero turn units do not provide much space for engine and operators.

The two speed drive is really a big deal if you can get it in one of these minis.

*

 

[nogaltractorguy]

You guys provide a lot of food for thought. I do my own wrenching so maintenance access is a must. Luckily my shop is detached from the house so my wife and daughter won't hear me cussing the engineers!